If You Really Knew Me

Several years ago there was a reality show on MTV called IF You Really Knew Me. It was set in various high schools across the country. The idea of the show was to look beyond the various cliques that we associate with to reveal that we are not really different in the things that we experience. Each of the students participated in Challenge Day where the student was assigned a small group to be apart of. In that group, they would share something personal about themselves by stating, “If you really knew me, you would know that I…”. By the end of the episode, the athletes, band kids, the studious, the outcasts all realize that they are going through the same things that everyone else is. Divorce, abuse, poverty, relationship problems, esteem issues are the great equalizer in every teens’ life.

This is because all humans are not that different from each other. We all struggle with similar issues, especially when it comes to how we relate to each other. It is all due to the fact that relationships are complicated. Sometimes they don’t always work the way we want it to. This is true, whether it is a friendship, a work relationship and is especially true, with something more intimate.

Any type of relationship means that there has to be vulnerability. If you are vulnerable to someone then trust is involved. You are allowing yourself to open up to someone and trusting that they will not violate that trust. However, sometimes that trust is broken.

Genesis 2: Man Was Made for Relationships

Genesis 2 tells us that God is relational. From the beginning it says that we were created to be in a relationship with Him. It then tells us that we were made for each other. Man was not meant to be alone. Like everything, it was first all good, but soon became distorted as sin entered into the world.

God gave us The Bible which is a book of relationships. It shows us both the good and bad about how man relates to each other. It shows us what our relationship to God is meant to be and how that kind of relationship can be achieved. It models how we should interact and treat our fellow Christians. It directs us how we are to view those who do not believe in a relational God.

It is summed up in Mark 12, when Jesus was asked “What is the Greatest Commandment? Jesus tells us that our first responsibility is to Him,

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…
Mark 12:30

He then follows up with a revolutionary statement, a sometimes difficult statement,

“… and you should love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mark 12:31

In the gospel of John, Jesus says,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”
John 13:34-35

Jesus made it very clear that the lost, the world, will know that we are Christians, not by our perfect life, not by how successful we are, not by whether we know our church doctrine, but by our love for each other.

This connection to God now connects us together.This book on relationships tells us how the church should relate to each other. I Thessalonians 4:9; I Timothy 1:5, I Peter 1:22 admonishes Christians to love one another.

-Romans 15:2 says that Christians are to encourage one another,

“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up”

I Corinthians 12:11-13, Galatians 3:28, and Colossians 3:11 state that all believers are part of the Body of Christ, and, as one body, we are to support one another. Philippians 2:4 tells us that we should help those brothers and sisters in need and not merely be concerned for our own needs. Colossians 3:13 says that we should also be quick to forgive a brother or sister when they have wronged us.

This whole love thing sounds great until you have to put-it into practice. It’s one thing to be hurt by someone who is not a believer but it is another when it is someone who is supposed to know differently. Sometimes it is easier to forgive a person who is not a Christian than someone who is also a follower of Christ.

However, here’s the problem with not just our relationships within the church, but with our relationships in general. Sometimes we view our relationships through the filter of our past experiences. It is sifted thought our belief systems. This starts with a situation, that leads to our thoughts, our thoughts then lead to emotions and then emotions leads to behaviors, or actions, that strengthen our belief system as a whole. It is like those who have come from abusive childhoods. How can I call God, who I cant see with my natural eyes, a good father when I’ve been hurt by my earthly father who I can see. It creates a disconnect inside of us.

But remember that we are created for relationships.

This issue with trust and being vulnerable is encoded in our DNA. What is the very first thing that the doctor does after a baby is born? He gives the baby to to its mother in order to form a bond. The baby learns to feel safe and secure in the arms of his mother.

The baby is saying that this relationship is safe and it is good and I am allowing myself to be vulnerable to you. I feel safe to express my true emotions knowing that you will not judge or criticize or condemn me. This is the definition of true love.

This is how it is supposed to be in the Body of Christ. This is what Jesus meant by the world knowing you are Christians by your love. This is what true intimacy between believers is supposed to be like. Intimacy is not just between a husband and a wife relationship. Intimacy is open, vulnerable trust between believers.

John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth

John Bowlby was a British psychoanalyst who help pioneer Attachment Theory. One of his famous research studies was observing hospitalized children during World War 2. He theorized that children have one primary care giver that is the basis of all other attachments throughout a person’s life. An attachment is how we do or do not do relationships. If relationships are safe and enjoyable then Bowlby believed that it was due to a safe and secure relationship with the primary caregiver as a child.

Bowlby saw that the young hospitalized children had various reactions to their parents when they came to visit them. When they were afraid, they did not have immediate access to their attachment figure. Some were alone for long periods of time and likely felt abandoned by their caregiver(s). This brought up insecurities that Bowlby believed later on would affect how the child would view personal relationships. Imagine being a young child who is all alone in a strange environment. Mom or dad is not there to comfort them. Therefore, they cannot be there to take care of my needs when I need them the most. Thus, if I cannot trust those who are supposed to be there for me, how can I trust any relationship at all.

Mary Ainsworth built upon this situation when she studied 12-18 month old children and how they reacted when their caregiver briefly left the room. When the caregiver returned, she observed that some children, although distressed when mom was not there, had a positive reaction when she retuned. Ainsworth called this a secure attachment. You know that mom is going to be there in the time of need and that she has not abandoned you completely.

Next, Ainsworth observed that there was an avoidant attachment, where the child had no distress, and did not seem to care very much, when the mother returned. This is possibly due to lack of attention and neglect from the care giver in everyday life. Later in life, they may grow up avoiding close relationships, and only getting involved when it could meet a personal need. These types of people may also be prone to addictive behavior, which is an attempt to temporary satisfy a need or to reduce internal stress. They grow to develop an inflated view of self and a negative view of others. I can’t trust others to truly love me therefore, I will do whatever I need to please myself.

Finally, Ainsworth observed that some children were ambivalent when their mother returned in to the room. She called this anxious-resistant, in which the mother was not consistent in caregiving-producing anxiety, anger and helplessness within the child. Some of these children grow up numb to emotions, not knowing how to feel in stressful situations.They develop a negative view of self and a negative view of others. They may think, ‘I am not worthy to be loved by others therefore I cannot trust others to take of my needs’.

So, if a person has been hurt in a relationship, which we all have been in some way or another, that experience changes the way we think about relationships, in general. It literally changes the neural pathways in our brain. Before the hurt we think one way, and afterwards, we are now conditioned to think another.

Love hurts at times

If that wound happens between believers we begin to question each others motives. It produces gossip, slander, innuendo, strife as it spreads like wild fire among the body and quenches the work that God wants to do in the church. How many people have left churches because they have been hurt in one way or the other.

Remmeber, James says that the our toungue can be used to both bless God and curse our brother. He warns that such a great fire can be produced by just a small spark of a hurtful word.

Therefore, we have to be careful that we don’t filter perceived situations through our past wounds and experiences.

Now, everything that happens, any kind of conflict, is screened through the hurts and experiences in our life. Our perspective of the situation is skewed so that what we think is really true of a situation, may not be completely accurate.

Have you ever walked into a room where a group of people are talking and they stop as soon as they see you come in? We immediately think it is about us.

However, the greatest lesson that we can learn that will save us a lot of grief and anxiety in life is that it is not always about us. Sometimes our views fail the test of reliability.

Any test that you create has to have two elements. First, it has to be valid. Validity is important because the test has to measure what it as created to measure. If you wanted to create a spelling test for 3^rd graders, then it will have to have words on it that a third grader could spell. If it has 6^th grade spelling words, then the test is not valid. Second it has to be reliable. This means if you give the same test over and over again it would produce similar results.

Tests can be valid-but that doesn’t mean they are always reliable. Our view, or assessment, of a situation, can be valid but it doesn’t me it is always reliable.

The emotions that we feel,-the hurt, the regrets, the “what ifs” are valid but it does not always mean that what we feel or think about a situation is reliable. This is because we are viewing it through the filter of our own past hurts, our own experiences and belief systems.

It is like if we were on opposite sides of a street and we both witnessed a car accident. I may describe who was at fault in the accident and it may be completely different than how you view it. Each of our own viewpoints and statements of the event are valid but that doesn’t mean that both of them are reliable.

“ Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling pieces in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know is partial and imcomplete but then I will know everything completely just as God now knows me completely:.
1 Corinthians 13:12

So what do we do when we have been hurt? What happens when there is a broken relationship within the body, among each other?

Paul says that God has given us a ministry of reconciliation. Restoration has to be the goal. If we cannot operate under grace and mercy then we need to quit calling us followers of Jesus. Remember, the world (and the wounded believer) will know we are Christians by our love.

Romans urges us to live in harmony with each other and compels us to live in peace with everyone. When we do this, we choose to open up our life to each other. We choose to become vulnerable to each other again. Yes, that means that there is a chance that we can be wounded again. It means that others can hurt us with their words or actions. However, it also means that grace can overflow. It means that our wounds form the past can begin to heal. It means that we are no longer afraid to love or to be loved.

Here is the bottom line: Healing comes when our vision of the future is stronger than our memories and pain of the past.

We can love but we might get hurt in the process. We can be vulnerable to another but end up wounded. Hurt people often hurt others. However, we need each other, and although scary, the potential of fulfilling relationships will vastly outweigh the hurts and wounds from our past. This is the point we begin to heal. But we have to allow others into our lives and we have to be willing to trust others once again.

Foundations: Part 2

You cannot build upon a broken foundation. A broken foundation only produces cracks and blemishes in the structure and if not fixed will eventually fall. I don’t like seeing the blemishes or potential structural problems on the walls or foundations. My first thought is how serious is it and my next is wondering how much it is going to cost to get it fixed.

I think that is why I hate mirrors so much. What I see with my natural eyes is often just a reflection of a broken man. I see the cracks and the blemishes of the foundation that I have laid through myself and not the person that God made me. I see wounds and hurts and heartache and shattered dreams but God sees the person who is fearfully and wonderfully made. He sees me as created in the image of God. He sees a person that He loves with an everlasting love.

A wise man knows that his source of strength, that his shelter comes from someone other than himself.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91

He become the shelter of the wise man. A wise man recognizes that his strength is in Him and not in himself. A wise man who has his foundation in Jesus is not afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.

⁶He does not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. He is at perfect peace knowing he is safe and secure.

Thunder and Lightening, very, very frightening?

No, not for him because he knows that”
‘Though a thousand fall at his side, then ten thousand at his right hand’ but he will keep walking by faith knowing those evils will not touch him.

Building a foundation upon Christ begins by understanding who He is. It’s understanding His power. It is being in awe (reverent fear) of His power and majesty.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10). There is no want for them who fear Him (Ps. 34:9). In the fear of the Lord, there is strong confidence and a fountain of life (Prov. 14:26-27).
Your foundation is in him. He holds you together when it seems the world around you is falling apart. In some ways we can say that quite literally.

There is a protein in our body that helps hold every cell together . It is called Laminin. If we did not have this particular protein then we would fall apart. Here is a picture of what the protein looks like:

The Book of Colossians states that we exist for Him. We exist because of him. Everything is held together through Him and built on His foundation. This is the foundation that your life is built upon when you first put your faith and trust in someone other than yourself. By doing so, you have the hope that no matter what you go through in life, you are still going to be ok. He is going to hold you together!

It doesn’t matter that the world is closing in around you or that storms are closing in, your faith will not be shaken.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

In those times that your faith is tested, you start to wonder if it is worth it. You may question if God is even listening. You are so tempted to go back to what you know and what is familiar. That is leaning on your own strength instead of God. It is in those times of trials and temptation that it seems that God is most silent.

However, James reminds us that trials and temptations will come and he tells us what kind of perspective we should have when we go through them.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-3

James goes on to say that the one who perseveres under trial is blessed because they stood the test, and that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

The more we walk in Him, the more we see how faithful He is, the more we learn to trust Him to take care all of our needs. Even when it appears that God is silent to our prayers or deaf to our cry, our foundation in Him is not shaken because we know that the answer is on its way.

Shortly after Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to his disciples and spent time with them before he ascended into Heaven. He instructed them to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. So they waited and prayed, but they were not really sure how the Holy Spirit would be revealed. Acts 2 tells us happens.

On the day of Pentecost^[^a^] all the believers were meeting together in one place. ²Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. ³Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.⁴And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,^[^b^] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

That one little word, “suddenly”, means so much more when you are waiting for an answer from God. So even at the final hour, the last minute God always shows up on time. The check comes in the mail, you get a call that you got the job, the prayers for healing have finally been answered, the spirit of depression has lifted, and the anxiety subsided so that you can finally rest at night. What ever you have been asking, seeking, praying hoping for suddenly comes and your prayers have been answered. It is because your faith is built on a foundation that cannot be shaken by trials, circumstances, by situations, by anything else, that this world can throw at you.

We have a sure foundation built upon Him that will stand the test of time and will never crack or falter. The hymn writer Edward Mote penned these words in the early 1800’s, and it sums up the solid foundation we have in Him:

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Foundations Part 1

²⁴“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27

We all know that a foundation is pretty important in building a house. If the foundation is flawed, the structural integrity of the entire building is in jeopardy.

If you ever sold a home, you know that it can be a very stressful time in a person’s life. So much had to be fixed or updated in order to attract potential buyers. When I sold my home, I was so paranoid about every little crack or blemish in the drywall. If I saw just a small crack in the wall, I researched about what could be a foundation problem or what could be just the house naturally settling over time. I don’t think I slept at all until the inspection report came back saying everything was ok.

Those house inspectors work hours going over every detail making sure that everything is in working order. They have to be sure that there are no safety issues and that it doesn’t violate any code that would determine the home is un-livable.

Then you get the report. Mine was about 17 pages long describing what the inspector did and the trouble he saw or the recommendation that he made. However, by the end of it, I knew that I had a home that was safe and livable. What peace of mind it was knowing that if the storms come rolling in, I would be safe and my family would be secure. That peace of mind started with knowing that there was a solid foundation for the house to be built upon.

If so much attention and details go into inspecting and making sure that the foundations of our natural buildings are on solid ground, then how much more diligent should we be to insure that our spiritual foundations are solid, as well.

When the storms of life come, are we standing on our own foundation that we built with our own wisdom and strength or are they built upon a more solid foundation? What your life is built upon will determine how well you will weather the storms and trials of life.

I was a ministry leader for a 12-step Christian based recovery group for 10 years. When we first started it, I was so excited about how many people that it had the potential to help. However, what I didn’t realize was that as I worked the steps and principles, I realized that I needed to reevaluate my own foundations in my life. There were things that I still needed to work on. That meant that I had to dig down to the foundations of my life and do some repair work.

However, before I do that repair work, I had to make sure that my life was built upon a solid foundation. From the very beginning of the recovery process, it establishes a few things that are essential to a Christian, if they are going build a firm foundation and get through the storms of life.

Step 1

We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18
Romans 7:18

There are some things in my life that I cannot control. I my thoughts, emotions and behaviors at times can be unmanageable. I had to say that I am not God, and in my own strength, I am powerless to fix things on my own. Even as a Christian there are still things that affect me from my past and contribute to certain thoughts and behaviors.

Step 2

We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Philippians 2:13

I had to come to a point that since I am not God, I cannot repair the foundations of my life on my own. I needed a power greater than me to restore me to a functional person. This is hard to do at times. It takes denying yourself, swallowing your pride, and admitting that you cannot fix yourself. This is hard for most people, especially those who have control issues.

Step 3

We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.
Romans 12:1

I had to consciously choose to submit to the master builder. I had to trust that he could do what I could not. By doing so, I chose to allow him todo that repair work and rebuild the broken areas of my life.

You see before you go any further in the program, before you tackle the spiritual inventory, you have to establish the foundation that you are going to build upon. You cannot do a searching and fearless inventory of yourself if you do not have a solid foundation to fall back upon.

Our Christian walk has to be built upon a foundation that is stronger than ourselves. We have cracks and blemishes from the past that have effected our ability to live a fulfilled life. It is in the person and life of Jesus that we find that solid foundation to build our own life upon. So, if you fall or fail, or feel that you are on shaky ground, you can fall back on that firm foundation of faith in Him.

No matter what life throws at you, no matter what type of trials or the stresses of life that taunts you, even in the midst of destruction, you can always rebuild, as long as your hope, your peace, your strength is in the foundation of Jesus Christ.

The Solid Rock

A wise man once wrote:

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

However, a foolish person doesn’t understand about this hope. He doesn’t understand that he cant get through what life throws at you on your own. Regarding his own nature the scriptures state the fool has said in his heart that there is no God. If there is no God, then any attempt to stand the storms of life has to be on your own strength.

You cannot build upon a broken foundation. A broken foundation only produces cracks and blemishes in the structure that if not fixed, will eventually crumble to the ground.

Don’t Go By What You See

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

“ Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling pieces in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know is partial and incomplete but then I will know everything completely just as God now knows me completely.”

1 Corinthians 13:12

Perspective is everything

Things are not always what they appear to be. You may think that you know the whole story and you have it all figured out but we only know from the standpoint of our own perspective. Perspective is everything in knowing the truth but our perspective is often blurred by our limited knowledge of the event or circumstance. How many times have we gotten ourselves in trouble because we read too much into a situation or made decisions based on our limited knowledge?

Have you ever walked into a room where two people are talking and they stop when they see you? You naturally think that that they are talking about you. However, the truth is, you really don’t know what they are talking about. It is likely that it may not be about you at all.

Whenever I counsel couples or families about relationships, I have to realize that I may hear each person’s side of the story according to their own perspective. This can be flawed or skewed especially if people are too concerned about being right and not being open minded about themselves. There are times when I sit there and hear one side and think that other person is obviously the problem. Then when I meet with them, I think no, the first person is the real issue. Im forming my opinions from the limited knowledge that I have according to what each person told me. I am not there in the home everyday to hear every conversation and to make a rational informed decision. Therefore, any type of counsel that I do give may also be skewed because of the perspective, that I have developed, based on the limited knowledge that I have of the situation.

We don’t see the whole picture

I have to remember that things may not always be what they appear to be. This is definitely true as we walk out our faith and make decisions based on what we do know. Humans are limited in understanding by just what they hear, see and experience in the natural world. We don’t always see things from God’s perspective. God is omniscient—He knows all things and sees things for how they truly are. 1^st Cor 13:12 says “ Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling pieces in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know is partial and imcomplete but then I will know everything completely just as God now knows me completely:.

Every aspect of ourselves is like one piece of a giant puzzle that represents our life. Every day, every thought and circumstance that we face is part of this puzzle. We may not know at that time what it represents. God sees the finished product. He sees whether that piece is an elbow or part of a tree limb or part of skyline. We won’t truly know until the puzzle is complete and we see the finished product for what it truly represents.

How many of us would made different decisions if we knew the big picture? How many of us would have held on just a little bit longer if we knew that reliefs just around the corner. How different things might be if only we saw things from God’s perspective.

God was already working

We are not the only ones who may have made different decisions if we saw things for what they really appeared to be.

To Abraham it appeared that his only option was to be obedient to God no matter what; even if it meant sacrificing his own son. But what Abraham didn’t know was that things were not what they appeared because God was about to provide the sacrifice.

The Samaritan woman at the well thought that this was just a Jewish traveler asking for a drink of water. She had been married 5 times and experienced a lifetime of heartache and shame. She thought things could not change. Yet, things were not as they appeared because He was about ready to give her living water.

The woman who was caught in the act of adultery knew she was destined for more shame and gossip about her sin. When they brought her out to be stoned to death she assumed that Jesus was going to do the same. However, things were not what they appeared because she was about ready to experience what true love really means.

Remember, after the crucifixion it appeared that everything was lost. The disciples were clueless on what to do in what seemed like defeat. They were only reacting by what they knew and from their own perspective. How can this be what God had planned? Jesus was supposed to be the Messiah and now because of his death everything was lost. Yet they would find out three days later that things were not what they appeared to be. God had a bigger plan. Their pain and hardship and fear was soon to be over. They were about to discover what someday we all will discover- that sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Hebrews 11 tell of this great cloud of witnesses that that endured all kinds of difficulties and hardships because they saw through the lens of faith and not their own flesh and blood.

Remember, in Hebrews 13:2 it says,

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

We can’t begin to see things as they really are until we live our life according to the principle of walking by faith and not by sight.

The point is this

When you feel like your back is against the wall and you have run out of options. When you feel like giving up because perhaps God is too busy to hear your cries. When you feel that you can never change and the problems you are facing today will be the same ones you face tomorrow. Remember, that you see just a small piece of the puzzle which you view from your limited knowledge and your own worldview. God knows what the completed picture of your life looks like. He knew that in just three days the entire world would be changed. He knows that if you could see things the way He sees them, your life would change as well.

Let me give one example from Daniel 10. It shows what God was doing behind the scenes.

“On April 23,^[^b^] as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, ⁵I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. ⁶His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people. ⁷Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide.⁸So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. ⁹Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. ¹⁰Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. ¹¹And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. ¹²Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. ¹³But for twenty-one days the spirit prince^[^c^] of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels,^[^d^]came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.^[^e^] ¹⁴Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Things are not what they always appear to be. What you are going through and experiencing now is part of a bigger plan. When we walk by faith and not by what we see we begin to see things for how they really are. And ultimately we know that 1) God will cause all things for good for those who are in Christ Jesus and 2) He will be faithful to complete the work that He started in you. He started the work…. and He will complete it.